


Dragons & Dilemmas

by noxsoulmate



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas Fluff, EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, F/M, Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2019, Marriage Proposal, Murphy's Law, Prompt Fic, cute dragon baby, until everything goes right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21558868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxsoulmate/pseuds/noxsoulmate
Summary: An assignment sees partners Hermione Granger and Charlie Weasley staying in the Great Smoky Mountains during Christmas Time. Undeterred by that, Hermione still tries to get them in the right mood and keep up some old Christmas traditions. However, it seems that no matter what - everything goes wrong.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Charlie Weasley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54
Collections: Hermione's Holiday Hideaway 2019





	Dragons & Dilemmas

**Author's Note:**

> **pairing:** Hermione/Charlie  
>  **location prompt:** The Great Smoky Mountains  
>  **movie prompt:** Christmas Vacation  
>  **word count limit:** 1000 to 3000
> 
> [Hermione’s Haven](https://www.facebook.com/groups/hermioneshaven/) Holiday Hideaway 2019 ~ Day 1
> 
> [Sanctum of (in)Sanity: A NaNo Coven](https://www.facebook.com/groups/662259464298240) Dare Squad: _Insert the Traveling Shovel of Death into your story!_

“Oh for _God’s sake_ ,” Hermione exclaimed. “When will this _stop_.”

“Honey-”

“No! No, seriously! This is _awful_ \- it’s like in that horrible movie!!”

“What movie?” Charlie dared to ask as he reached for Hermione’s hand.

With one swift move, he pulled her from the icy-cold water of the river she had fallen into. A simple flick of his wand and her clothes were dry again, another flick and a heating charm was added for good measure. 

Hermione didn’t react to either, defeated and obviously at the end of her patience.

“That movie,” she clarified unhelpfully. “The one where the guy tries to give his family the perfect Christmas but everything goes wrong, no matter what he does.”

“Sorry, hon. Not ringing a bell.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she told him with a sigh that spoke of utter resignation as she trudged through the snow. “Really, doesn’t matter. Point is; everything that could go wrong _did_ go wrong. Just like for us.”

“Come on, hon. It’s not _that_ bad,” Charlie tried to convince her, jogging to catch up with her.

Hermione let out an unamused peal of laughter.

“Really now? Well, let’s see.”

Listing the happenings of the past few days, Hermione gesticulated so wildly, Charlie feared she wasn’t concentrating on where she was going. Keeping an eye on Eddy, who was exploring the woods close by, he kept another on Hermione to make sure she wouldn’t walk into a tree on top of all that had happened.

“First, we’re called on this mission - over _Christmas_ \- to _America_ , as if there’s no one _else_ who could possibly take this assignment. We haven’t missed a family Christmas at the Burrow _in years_. It’s _tradition_. Then, we don’t even get a nice bed and breakfast, _no_. No, of course, they put us in a cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere of the Great Smokey Mountains. With no water or actual plumbing. I mean, come on, the huts in horror movies are more luxurious! _Then_ , when we try to at least keep _some_ traditions by getting a Christmas tree, we’re chased by a deer. A _deer_ , Charlie! A _deer_! Oh, oh, and don’t get me started on the blood-coated shovel we just _randomly_ found in the middle of the woods! I mean, _seriously_?”

“Hermione, honey. Will you please slow down?”

All of a sudden, Hermione stopped and turned around, Charlie just able to avoid running into her. Her anger morphed into despair and Charlie knew she was seconds away from tears.

“I just want to know _why_. Why can’t we have a nice Christmas?”

“Maybe… you’re blowing all these things a bit out of proportion?”

When Hermione sent him a death glare, he hastened to clarify.

“Look, they picked us for this mission because we’re not only the best, we’re also the only couple so they knew we at least would be with a loved one over the holidays. The assignment was urgent, Christmas or not. They picked the hut for us because this way, we’re closer to where the dragons are supposed to be - just because we haven’t seen them yet doesn’t mean they aren’t here. They also gave us the hut because… well, you can’t really check into a B&B with a little dragon on hand, now can you?” He pointed to their small companion. 

Eddy was currently hitting his tail against a tree, catching the falling snow with his tongue, and let out little smokey puffs of happiness as he did. Charlie could see a soft smile playing around Hermione’s lips. They had gotten the little Swedish Short Snout in late summer and had decided he was too young to be left alone.

Sensing it was safer now, Charlie reached for his girlfriend, pulling her into his arms. While she didn’t make a move to return the embrace, she also did not move away.

“And I don’t know about you, but being chased by that deer was rather fun, now wasn’t it? I mean, we could have disapparated the whole time if we really had been in danger.”

“There’s still the shovel…”

“Which we handed to the muggle authorities. I’m still sure it’ll turn out to be nothing. No murderer would leave his weapon behind like that.”

Hermione grumbled for a moment longer but eventually melted into Charlie’s embrace. Sighing, she hugged him back, and Charlie could feel the stress leaving her body. It wasn’t long before Eddy game bouncing over, making it clear he wanted to be part of the embrace. Chuckling, Hermione knelt and gave him a belly-rub.

“Better now?” Charlie asked when she stood back up.

Hermione shrugged and then pouted. “I’m still cold.”

“No, you’re not,” he told her with a grin. “But I’ll make you some hot chocolate when we get back.”

Taking her hand, he pulled her along as they started their way back to the hut.

~*~

Eddy stayed where he was for a moment longer, irritated by a sensation in his nose. Out of nowhere, a sneeze broke free, followed by a second, and a third. Once the sensation was gone, he shook himself before happily bouncing after his two favourite humans.

The little spot with melted snow and burnt ground was covered in a fresh white blanket within minutes.

~*~

Back in the hut, Charlie kept his promise, the hot chocolate melting away the cold in their bones far quicker than any heating charm could. They had spent the whole day in search of the dragon’s nest they’d been instructed to find. With that and Hermione’s unwanted bath in the icy river, of course they were frozen.

Together with their steaming hot chocolate, they curled up in front of the fireplace, watching the Christmas tree. While Charlie had prepared their drinks and made some dinner for Eddy, Hermione had spent her time decorating the tree just to her liking. Three stockings hung from the mantle of the fireplace.

“It’s not perfect,” Hermione told him as she snuggled closer. “But it’s better than nothing.”

“I beg to differ,” Charlie replied, just as Eddy trotted into the room, licking his snout after his meal. “It rather is perfect.”

When she looked up at him, he gave her a loving smile and kissed the tip of her nose.

“We’re together. Nothing could ever ruin that.”

Just as he wanted to lean down to capture her lips in a long kiss, a loud sneeze broke out of Eddy. Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw the little flames erupt from the baby dragon’s nostrils, but unable to stop what happened next.

“Eddy, _no_!”

They both jumped up, hot chocolate spilling everywhere, but it was too late.

“ _Aqua Eructo!_ ”

Charlie pointed his wand directly at the tree while Hermione hastened to Eddy, pulling him close. He heard her murmur what he guessed was a soothing charm to calm Eddy’s sneezing. For now, he concentrated on putting out the fire.

It was quickly done - but the fire had been faster, destroying half of the tree and even blackening one of the stockings.

Taking a moment to breathe, Charlie hardly wanted to look at Hermione. He did anyway.

What he saw broke his heart.

“Honey-”

The shaking of her head stopped him.

Without any word, she walked over to the bedroom, closing the door silently.

Eddy looked after her with sad eyes, and Charlie could tell the little dragon knew he had done something bad, his tail between his legs, his ears pulled down, and his eyes big and sorrowful.

“Hey, buddy, don’t worry,” Charlie told him. Knowing he could do or say nothing that would cheer Hermione up right now, he made sure to take care of their little friend. Kneeling, he pulled Eddy close and gave him a belly-rub. “It wasn’t your fault. You probably caught a cold. Let’s get you some medicine and some cooling drops to calm the fire in you, okay? Then we’ll see about cheering up Hermione.”

He let Eddy give him a wet kiss with his tongue as he stood and carried him over to the kitchenette. A common dragon cold was easily treated, and if Charlie did it right, there should be no more burning sneezes.

While Eddy happily slurped the tonic induced water, Charlie leant back against the counter. This wasn’t how he had pictured this getaway in the mountains. Sure, it had started as an assignment - still was, really; they hadn’t found the dragons yet, after all. But knowing how much Hermione loved Christmas, he had hoped they could make the best of it. A romantic getaway, more than anything. A holiday hideaway from all the stress back in England. Oh, he loved his noisy family, no question asked. But… there was something he had wanted to do this Christmas and he had imagined it would be much easier to do so while alone with his girlfriend. So when the assignment had come up, he hadn’t hesitated to ask his boss to send him and Hermione.

Pulling out the little box of black velvet, Charlie vowed to make sure to turn this into the Christmas Hermione deserved - and which Charlie really wanted to give her before asking her a very special question.

~*~*~*~

Hermione had been lying on the bed, buried deep in a book to escape the hell that was this mission. Truthfully, it probably wasn’t as bad as she made it look. But she had hoped to have a perfect Christmas this year, if only because it was the first time Charlie and she would celebrate alone.

Finally, she stopped pretending to be immersed, closed the book and sat up with a sigh. If she was honest with herself, her reaction to everything probably made all this worse than it actually was. She knew that, and still, she couldn’t stop the melancholy feeling. Maybe it was because she still missed her parents - it was easy to push it aside while at the loud and busy Burrow, but hardly possible in the quiet of the mountains - or maybe she just missed the things she associated with Christmas.

Whatever it was, she had to admit that maybe she should just be happy she was together with Charlie - and Eddy - and should simply enjoy their time instead of forcing old traditions which clearly weren’t possible here.

Leaving the bedroom, Hermione was greeted by the same quiet she had to admit had hung over the hut for some time now. Looking around, she could see neither Charlie nor Eddy but she found a note on the kitchen counter.

_Don’t go anywhere and wait for my patronus ;)_

_Love you_

A smile tugged at her lips, and she took a deep breath, letting all her worries wash away. Obviously, Charlie was planning something for her and if she knew anything about her man, it was that he would do anything to cheer her up.

Gods, she was the luckiest woman alive, who cared about some hiccups along the way?

She made herself some tea - really, who needed running water when they were a witch? - got her book from the bedroom, and ignoring the marred tree, made herself comfortable on the couch, waiting patiently for Charlie’s patronus. 

She did not have to wait for long, the majestic smokey dragon flew into the room just as she cleaned out her mug and was about to sit back down.

_Meet me at the glade atop the hill. Where we took a break the first day we searched for the nest._

The dragon dissipated without a further word and while Hermione quickly put on some warmer clothes, she smiled about how much she still loved hearing Charlie’s voice out of the mouth of his dragon patronus.

Barely five minutes after she had received the message, Hermione apparated on the spot - only to find herself atop of said hill, looking down over the valley. In the darkness, she could not only see the moon and the stars above her but also small glimpses of lights of the wizarding village below where they peeked through the ever-present fog which gave the mountains their name.

The first thing she noticed was that it was not as cold as she had expected. In fact, it was rather warm. The next thing was, it wasn’t completely dark behind her.

Turning around, she was greeted by a picture that melted her heart.

“Oh, Charlie,” she breathed out, moving to her boyfriend, kissing him before he could speak.

Only when she was satisfied did she break the kiss to look around again, seeing a campfire and an open tent. The floor was covered in blankets and pillows. The tent’s poles, as well as the trees closest to the clearing, were covered in what looked like fairy lights but were, in fact, fireflies if Hermione wasn’t mistaken. If she had to hazard a guess, Charlie had covered the poles and trees with some tonic that would draw them in and keep them for a while.

The whole clearing was filled with magic, mainly heating and weather-proofing charms, as well as some precautious protection spells. 

“This is perfect.”

“Yeah?”

Looking back at her boyfriend, her hands still on his shoulder, she pulled closer again for another kiss. “Yes, absolutely.”

“I thought you could take a breather. We’ve been holed up in that hut for days now and tonight is Christmas Eve and I thought… well, I thought it might be nice to wake up here on Christmas morning, rather than in the hut.”

“I love the idea. And I love you.”

“I love you, too, hon.”

Eddy choose that moment to interrupt them, demanding attention. Hermione happily complied with a good belly-rub while Charlie stoked the campfire to prepare their dinner. Once he finished, Hermione gave Eddy a kiss, letting the little dragon know she wasn’t mad at him anymore and sat with Charlie.

Dinner was delicious, and so were the smores he surprised her with. Eddy got a special treat as well, and Charlie made sure to give him some more tonic to calm his sneezes. As it grew later and later, the fire never dying down thanks to some charms, Eddy curled up on the blankets prepared for him, huffing out a content puff, before falling asleep. Sometimes, the little dragon reminded Hermione of a puppy.

Done with dinner and dessert and all the hot drink they had enjoyed, Hermione snuggled close to Charlie, enjoying his warmth and the intoxicating fragrance she so loved about him. He always smelled of thyme and sandalwood and fire - the two latter enhanced now by the campfire. His hand was in her hair, lazily brushing through it, playing with some of the strands.

The warmth, the smell, the comfort, the general perfection of this night slowly lulled her into a deep slumber, Charlie’s soft lips against her forehead and a whispered “I love you,” the last things she was aware of.

~*~

Waking up in her boyfriend’s arms was the best feeling Hermione could ever wish for. Added with soft kisses and a warm hand exploring her body, Hermione’s mood was on a high right away.

However, before Charlie could take the moment any further, Eddy was there, happily joining them in their makeshift blanket bed under the tent.

Laughing, Hermione cuddled the dragon baby close as she turned to give Charlie a good morning kiss. Her boyfriend grumbled a little about Eddy and a leash - something that would never happen if she knew anything at _all_ about her boyfriend - before getting up and preparing breakfast.

They were sitting back at the campfire, enjoying their tea, as the sun rose, casting a breathtakingly beautiful view.

“Happy Christmas,” Charlie whispered into her ear.

Hermione leaned up to get a kiss, before replying alike.

“I left your present back at the hut,” she told him with a playful pout. She waited for a feeling of anger or even disappointment to set in but somehow, it didn’t come. So maybe she didn’t have his present here - the morning was still perfect and she would not ruin it.

Given his smile, Charlie didn’t seem to mind either.

“Good. This way, my present for you gets the spotlight.”

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help her grin. Charlie was simply too cute when he was able to get her presents. 

Instead of moving away to collect her gift, Charlie simply pulled something out of his pocket - and Hermione gasped.

The present was wrapped, but the size and form spoke volumes.

“Charlie-”

“Please just open it.”

Swallowing, Hermione did as he asked. By the time the small velvety box was revealed, tears were in her eyes, blurring her vision. Still, she opened the box, unable to hold back the sob. For the first time in her life, Hermione was unable to form any words, her watery gaze fixed on Charlie.

He smiled at her, so full of love, as he knelt down on one knee in front of her.

“Hermione, honey. I wanted this trip to be perfect for you and I’m sorry it wasn’t. I hope last night made up for at least some of it.”

Hermione nodded, her curls bouncing wildly. It made Charlie’s smile grow wider.

“Good. Because… I wanted this moment to be perfect. This moment, right now, when I’m going to ask you the question I’ve wanted to ask you the moment I first met you, all these many years ago.”

Another sob left Hermione’s lips, sounding more like a watery laugh as her smile grew. The swell of emotions in her chest made her feel faint.

“Hermione Jean Granger,” Charlie went on, taking her hand. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes! Oh, YES!” Hermione replied, throwing herself in his arms. 

Charlie caught her with ease, his lips against hers, sealing their engagement with a long and passionate kiss.

~*~

This time, Eddy decided not to interrupt his favourite humans, rather he enjoyed the food that likely wasn’t meant for him but was all the more delicious for it.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it - and with this, let the Christmas Time BEGIN 😍
> 
> As always, all my love and a big thank you to my wonderful beta [ArielSakura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielSakura) 😘


End file.
